The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on BBC 4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC FOUR
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 05 JULY 2014

SAT 19:00 Lost Land of the Tiger (b00ty6b0)
Episode 1

Documentary series following a dramatic expedition searching for tigers hidden in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.

With tigers heading for extinction, an international team of big-cat experts and wildlife film-makers are given unique access to the jungles and mountains of Bhutan for what could be the last chance to save this magnificent animal.

Explorer Steve Backshall is joined by sniffer dog Bruiser - together, they hunt for tigers through the dense forest undergrowth. High in the mountains, wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan drives himself to exhaustion tracking tigers that seem as elusive as the yeti. And in a jungle base camp, scientist George McGavin organises a firefly disco, while camerawoman Justine Evans is stuck at the top of a tree during a tropical lightning storm.

For the final team member, big-cat biologist Alan Rabinowitz, time to save the tiger is running out, as he has been diagnosed with incurable leukaemia. Alan bugs the forest with remote cameras to capture whatever secretive creatures are lurking there, but ultimately he needs to find tigers if his ambitious plan to protect them across the Himalayas is to succeed.

We follow the expedition every emotional step of the way as they strive to find evidence that could help to bring wild tigers back from the brink of extinction and safeguard their future.


SAT 20:00 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00skvtx)
What Is the Secret of Life?

Michael Mosley takes an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path.

The story of how the secret of life has been examined through the prism of the most complex organism known - the human body. It begins with attempts to save the lives of gladiators in Ancient Rome, unfolds with the macabre work and near-perfect drawings of Leonardo in the Renaissance, through the idea of the 'life force' of electricity, to the microscopic world of the cell. It reveals how a moral crisis unleashed by work on the nuclear bomb helped trigger a great breakthrough in biology - understanding the structure and workings of DNA.


SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b01cc6mz)
The Voice of the Violin

When the naked dead body of a young woman is found in a villa outside Vigata, Montalbano discovers that she had recently bought the villa and was in the process of restoring it using her wealthy husband's money. When the case is taken from Montalbano and given to rival inspector Panzacchi from nearby Montelusa, Panzacchi draws some easy conclusions and the investigation risks going badly off course. Will a proud Montalbano stick his neck out to regain control of the case or will he allow his incompetent colleagues to pin the murder on the wrong suspect?

In Italian with English subtitles.


SAT 22:45 The Beatles' Please Please Me: Remaking a Classic (b01qnrb8)
In 2013, on the 50th anniversary of the famous 12-hour session at Abbey Road which resulted in the Beatles' iconic album Please Please Me, leading artists such as Stereophonics, Graham Coxon, Gabrielle Aplin, Joss Stone, Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Paul Carrack, Mick Hucknall and I Am Kloot attempted to record the same songs, in the same timescale, in the same studio.

The results are captured in this programme, presented by Stuart Maconie.

Amongst those paying their own tribute to the album's success are Burt Bacharach and Guy Chambers, as well as people lucky enough to have been there 50 years ago telling the remarkable story of what happened that day, including engineer Richard Langham and the Beatles' press officer Tony Barrow.


SAT 23:45 Big in America: British Hits in the USA (b01bywsr)
Compilation of British rock 'n' roll acts in performance with tracks that crossed over to the US charts. From The Dave Clark Five to Coldplay, the Brits have rocked America and sometimes even done better across the pond than here - take a bow A Flock of Seagulls, Supertramp and Bush - who are also included here alongside darker British global exports like Black Sabbath and The Cure.


SAT 00:45 Top of the Pops (b0488tsh)
Weekly pop chart programme presented by David Jensen. Includes performances from The Real Thing, Dave Edmunds, Darts, UK Subs, the Pretenders, The Knack, Sparks, The Boomtown Rats, The Dooleys, ABBA, The Korgis and Tubeway Army. Plus a dance sequence by Legs & Co.


SAT 01:25 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sk2)
Episode 3

Musical memories from the BBC archives. This edition concentrates on the soul and funk artists who found success in the British charts of the 1980s, with performances from Kool and the Gang, The Pointer Sisters, Grace Jones, Cameo, Bobby Womack, Sade, Alexander O'Neal and Whitney Houston.


SAT 02:00 Lost Land of the Tiger (b00ty6b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 03:00 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00skvtx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 06 JULY 2014

SUN 19:00 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074q9l)
Original Series

The First Steps

The rock and pop series kicks off with the very birth of the decade, when pop was consigned to Crackerjack and rebellious singers still wore cardigans. But then Beatlemania came along.

Features the fabulous Freddie and the Dreamers on Blue Peter and Pinky & Perky doing the Twist.


SUN 19:35 A Hard Day's Night (b0074q9m)
Anarchic and offbeat 1960s story of 36 hours in the lives of The Beatles, as they travel to a TV show in London. The film uses a variety of cinematographic styles including documentary, surrealism and neorealism to create one of the milestone pictures of the decade.


SUN 21:00 Storyville (b048wq0z)
The Lance Armstrong Story - Stop at Nothing

Documentary telling the intimate but explosive story about the man behind the greatest fraud in recent sporting history, a portrait of a man who stopped at nothing in pursuit of money, fame and success.

It reveals how Lance Armstrong duped the world with his story of a miraculous recovery from cancer to become a sporting icon and a beacon of hope for cancer sufferers around the world. The film maps how Armstrong's cheating and bullying became more extreme and how a few brave souls fought back, until eventually their voices were heard.

Director Alex Holmes tracks down some of his former friends and team members who reveal how his cheating was the centre of a grand conspiracy in which Armstrong and his backers sought to steal the Tour de France. Friends and fellow riders were brought into a dirty pact that no-one could betray, lest the horrifying extent of complicity be revealed. But the former friends whose lives he destroyed would prove to be his nemesis, and help uncover one of the dirtiest scandals in sports history.


SUN 22:40 Storyville (b048wqcc)
Velorama

Documentary looking at a century of cycling. Commissioned to mark the arrival of the 2014 Tour de France in Yorkshire, the film makes full use of stunning British Film Institute footage to transport the audience on a journey from the invention of the modern bike, through the rise of recreational cycling, to gruelling competitive races. Award-winning director Daisy Asquith artfully combines the richly-diverse archive with a hypnotic soundtrack from cult composer Bill Nelson in a joyful, absorbing watch for both cycling and archive fans.


SUN 23:40 The Richest Songs in the World (b01pjrt5)
Mark Radcliffe presents a countdown of the ten songs which have earned the most money of all time - ten classic songs each with an extraordinary story behind them. Radcliffe lifts the lid on how music royalties work and reveals the biggest winners and losers in the history of popular music.


SUN 01:10 Neil Sedaka: King of Song (b03v2yxt)
Neil Sedaka is one of the most successful American singer-songwriters of the last century. A classically trained musician, he won a scholarship to the Juilliard School at the age of nine and four years later he embarked on a writing career that would see him create some of the most perfect pop songs of all time. Throughout his career he wrote, recorded and sang a number of instantly recognisable and memorable tunes, as well as delivering a string of hits as a songwriter for other artists.

This documentary portrait film tells the story of Neil Sedaka's life and career, in which he had two distinct periods of success. Between 1958 and 1963 he sold over 25 million records, but then his career nose-dived after the Beatles and the British Invasion hit the USA. Leaving his homeland, he found success in the UK in the early 1970s and relaunched his career before returning to the US and achieving new stardom with songs like Solitaire and Laughter in the Rain.

Neil gives great insight into how he created catchy classics like Calendar Girl, (Is This the Way to) Amarillo, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and Stupid Cupid, amongst many others.


SUN 02:10 Storyville (b048wq0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



MONDAY 07 JULY 2014

MON 19:00 World News Today (b048wmzj)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1ll4)
Stonehenge

Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over Wiltshire to uncover new discoveries in the Stone Age landscape. Sites found from the air have led to exciting new evidence about Stonehenge. The discoveries help to explain why the monument is where it is, and reveal how long ago it was occupied by people.


MON 20:00 Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing (b0404892)
Series 1

Episode 5

Back to Basics. Lauren Smyth is the poster girl for the festival dance tradition which exists only in Ulster and prizes simplicity of dress and style. Against the odds she fulfils her childhood dream to make her debut as Riverdance lead in her home town of Belfast.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b048wskm)
Series 9

The Final

In the series finale, two teams compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random. Join Victoria Coren Mitchell if you want to know what connects: Monaco, Stoccarda, Colonia and Berlino.


MON 21:00 Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley (b048wss8)
Today, few people's clothes attract as much attention as the royal family, but this is not a modern-day Hello magazine-inspired obsession. As Dr Lucy Worsley reveals, it has always been this way. Exploring the royal wardrobes of our kings and queens over the last 400 years, Lucy shows this isn't just a public preoccupation but our monarchs' as well.

From Elizabeth I to our present Queen, Lucy believes that the royal wardrobe's significance goes way beyond the cut and colour of the clothing and that royal fashion is, and has always been, regarded as their personal statement to their people. So most monarchs have carefully choreographed every aspect of their wardrobe and, for those who have not, there have sometimes been calamitous consequences.


MON 22:00 Edge of Darkness (b0074p95)
Into the Shadows

Troy Kennedy Martin's award-winning thriller set in a world of obsessive state security and political power play. Craven goes to London to find out more about his daughter's murder, and begins to realise the full extent of her political involvement when he is shown files by the flamboyant CIA agent Darius Jedburgh.


MON 22:50 Majesty and Mortar: Britain's Great Palaces (b0488trx)
Opening the Palace Doors

With the widowhood of Queen Victoria, the glorious life of palaces almost came to an abrupt end. There would be just one final flowering of palatial style just before the First World War, on an imperial scale - the redesign of Buckingham Palace and The Mall. The interwar period was a difficult time for many of Britain's best palaces, forced into a half-life of grace-and-favour accommodation for exiled royalty and aristocracy down on their luck. But more recent times would see restoration and conservation on a new scale and, with it, detective work to uncover palace secrets.


MON 23:50 Britain by Bike (b00td4sg)
West Yorkshire

Clare Balding sets out on a two-wheel odyssey to re-discover Britain from the saddle of a touring cycle.

In a six-part series, Clare follows the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe whose evocative guide books of the late 1940s lovingly describe by-passed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B roads. Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own Dawes Super Galaxy bicycle, she goes in search of the world he described with such affection.

As she cycles through Bronte Country on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border, Clare uncovers a unique photographic collection depicting the hidden daily life of a Yorkshire mill town, a string of truly remarkable women and a secret club for henpecked husbands.


MON 00:20 Britain by Bike (b00tg2q0)
The Cotswolds

Clare Balding tests the limits of pedal power again with a cycle trip through an area considered one of the prettiest in Britain, the Cotswolds.

Following the wheel tracks of cycling author Harold Briercliffe, whose guide books of the late 1940s paint an evocative portrait of Britain on B-Roads, she encounters not only beautiful countryside but one or two surprises.

Briercliffe had controversial views about this handsomely-preserved landscape. Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described.

Along the way, she explores why the countryside looks the way it does, examines how post-war social change opened the doors of great private houses like Blenheim to a paying public and reveals how two men - both called William Morris - helped change the face of heritage tourism.


MON 00:50 Only Connect (b048wskm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 01:20 Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing (b0404892)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 01:50 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00skvtx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 02:50 Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley (b048wss8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 08 JULY 2014

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b048wmzr)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1czf)
Norfolk Broads

Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over the Broads where aerial photos have discovered a staggering 945 previously unknown ancient sites. Many are making historians rethink the history of the area.

The fate of the Roman town of Caistor St Edmund has puzzled archaeologists for decades. It's long been a mystery why the centre never became a modern town. Now archaeologists have discovered a key piece of evidence. And near Ormseby, the first proof of Bronze Age settlement in the east of England has been revealed.


TUE 20:00 Britain by Bike (b00tjr3z)
The Scottish Highlands

Clare Balding's two-wheeled odyssey to re-discover Britain by bicycle hits the Scottish Highlands, uncovering a series of vivid human stories connected to this stunning landscape.

Clare is following the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe, whose evocative guide books of the late 1940s painted a picture of by-passed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B-roads.

Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described and charts how a series of incomers have changed our view of the Highlands - a diverse group which includes Dr Johnson, an English army of occupation, a North American spruce tree and author Gavin Maxwell, plus otter.

And for those wondering whatever happened to TV naturalist Terry Nutkins, the answer is revealed.


TUE 20:30 Commonwealth on Film (b0495751)
Childhood

From Trinidad to Australia, Kenya to Barbados, Canada, India and beyond, over the decades film-makers have captured the rich diversity of the Commonwealth. This edition looks at childhood.


TUE 21:00 Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob (b048wtcn)
Episode 2

Howard Jacobson charts the ascent of the four rebels to national, and indeed international, icons. Clive James and Germaine Greer take Cambridge by storm, whilst Barry Humphries finds his feet with Private Eye and Robert Hughes absorbs the culture of Italy. Before long, all are high profile figures - Clive as a journalist, Germaine confronting the world with The Female Eunuch, Barry unleashing Dame Edna and Bob becoming Time Magazine's most astringent art critic.

Yet, as their stars were rising in Britain and the US, their reception at home was becoming more frosty - as Howard says 'Australians are suspicious of poppies that grow too high'.


TUE 22:00 Strictly Ballroom (b00749zg)
Offbeat satire in which a young ballroom dancing sensation causes uproar among the traditionalist Australian Dance Federation when he tries out some radical new steps.

His new routine horrifies all but the ugly duckling of his dance class who's just waiting to blossom. When she persuades him to partner her, he discovers a true soulmate who dares to be daring on the dance floor.


TUE 23:30 Lost Land of the Tiger (b00ty6b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


TUE 00:30 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074kzy)
Series 1

Nations

The British history series continues with the story of Edward I - known by many as the villainous king in the Hollywood film Braveheart - who tried to force English rule on Scotland and Wales, but found the resultant slaughter only served to inspire bold declarations of independence. When the king was eventually forced to listen to the parliament of his own people, England would also learn what it meant to be a nation.


TUE 01:30 Britain by Bike (b00tjr3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 02:00 Commonwealth on Film (b0495751)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


TUE 02:30 Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob (b048wtcn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 09 JULY 2014

WED 19:00 World News Today (b048wmzx)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1llz)
Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Frontier

Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over Hadrian's Wall to reveal a new view of its history. The first full aerial survey of Hadrian's Wall has helped uncover new evidence about the people who once lived there. Carried out over the last few years by English Heritage, it is allowing archaeologists to reinterpret the wall. Across the whole landscape hundreds of sites of human occupation have been discovered, showing that people were living here in considerable numbers. Their discoveries are suggesting that far from being a barren military landscape, the whole area was richly populated before during and after the wall was built. There is also exciting new evidence that the Romans were here earlier than previously thought.


WED 20:00 Horizon (b01f893x)
2011-2012

Global Weirding

Something weird seems to be happening to our weather - it appears to be getting more extreme.

In the past few years we have shivered through two record-breaking cold winters and parts of the country have experienced intense droughts and torrential floods. It is a pattern that appears to be playing out across the globe. Hurricane chasers are recording bigger storms and in Texas, record-breaking rain has been followed by record-breaking drought.

Horizon follows the scientists who are trying to understand what's been happening to our weather and investigates if these extremes are a taste of what is to come.


WED 21:00 Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle (b00t6ylx)
Author Rob Penn travels around the world collecting hand-built parts for his dream bicycle and charts the social history of one of mankind's greatest inventions.


WED 22:00 The Queen's Castle (b00792r7)
Four Seasons

Three-part documentary series which goes behind the scenes at the Queen's favourite home, Windsor Castle, highlighting not only the ceremonies and occasions that take place annually, but following a wide variety of the key staff as they go about their business. This part covers Easter and the Royal Family's stay at Windsor. It also takes a look at the Queen's horses, both those she rides and those used for ceremonial purposes.


WED 23:00 Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley (b048wss8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


WED 00:00 Storyville (b048wq0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


WED 01:35 Britain by Bike (b00t6yhb)
The Welsh Borders

Clare Balding sets out on a two-wheel odyssey to rediscover Britain from the saddle of a touring cycle. In a six-part series, she follows in the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe whose evocative guidebooks of the late 1940s lovingly describe bypassed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B roads.

Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own Dawes Super Galaxy bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described. Is it lost for ever? Or still there, waiting to be found?

Clare's journey into Wales is rich in literary connections to both Bruce Chatwin and AE Housman. She reveals how a cycle factory went to war and finds out about the Bride's Tree - a bizarre village ceremony with a dark secret.


WED 02:05 Parks and Recreation (b020tnrz)
Series 2

Park Safety

After Jerry gets mugged by a bunch of kids, Leslie meets with the head park ranger in the hope of improving park safety. Everyone tries to be kind to Jerry once he returns to the office.


WED 02:30 Parks and Recreation (b020tns1)
Series 2

Summer Catalogue

The department is set to distribute the annual summer catalogue, which Leslie takes very seriously.


WED 02:50 Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle (b00t6ylx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 10 JULY 2014

THU 19:00 World News Today (b048wn04)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b0499f9b)
Weekly pop chart programme presented by Peter Powell, with performances from Sham 69, Olympic Runners, ABBA, the Korgis, BA Robertson, Sparks, the Specials, the Boomtown Rats and the Gibson Brothers and a dance sequence by Legs & Co.


THU 20:00 Precision: The Measure of All Things (b033664m)
Heat, Light and Electricity

From lightning bolts and watt engines to electromagnetic waves and single electrons, Professor Marcus du Sautoy continues his journey into the world of measurement as he reveals how we came to measure and harness the power of heat, light and electricity. It's a journey that has involved the greatest minds in science and, today, is getting down to the very building blocks of atoms.


THU 21:00 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074l0y)
Series 1

King Death

Simon Schama continues his look at British history with the Black Death, the horror of medieval Britain. Those it did not kill were condemned to suffer decades of anarchy and unrest, not least King Richard II. But it created an unlikely breed of survivor - the country gent.


THU 22:00 Rise of the Continents (b0368kb2)
The Americas

Professor Iain Stewart uncovers clues hidden within the New York skyline, the anatomy of American alligators and inside Bolivian silver mines, to reconstruct how North and South America were created. We call these two continents the New World, and in a geological sense they are indeed new worlds, torn from the heart of an ancient supercontinent - the Old World of Pangaea.

Iain starts in New York, where the layout of the city's skyscrapers provide a link to a long-lost world. Deep within their foundations is evidence that 300 million years ago New York was at the heart of a huge mountain range - part of the vast supercontinent called Pangaea.

Trekking into the Grand Canyon, Iain uncovers a layer of sandstone from Pangaean times that shows there was a vast desert either side of the mountains. Footprints in the rocks of the Grand Canyon reveal that there was only one type of animal that could thrive here - a newly evolved group called the reptiles. Iain meets the closest living relative of those early reptiles - the alligator.

Two hundred million years ago, Pangea underwent a transformation. North and South America were carved from Pangaea, and pushed westwards as separate island continents. To see how this westward movement shaped South America's often bloody human history, Iain travels to Potosi in Bolivia. Cerro Rico is one of the most dangerous mines in human history. Iain goes to the heart of this extinct volcano to reveal the process that has shaped South America - subduction.

Subduction has also created the longest continual mountain range in the world - the Andes. At its heart lies the stunning ethereal landscape of the Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt flat where a lake has been uplifted thousands of metres above sea level. The lithium found here may be a new source of mineral wealth for Bolivia, for use in mobile phones.

The last chapter in the story of the Americas is told through that most typically Andean animal, the llama. But like much of South America's wildlife it originated in North America, and only came south when the two island continents of North and South America joined three million years ago.

Since that momentous joining the story of the Americas has been a shared one. Together they continue their westward drift away from the Old World. However, on a cultural and economic level you could argue that the opposite is the case. In our new global economy the Americas are at the very heart of our connected world.


THU 23:00 A Sunday in Hell (b0074qhx)
Jorgen Leth's film focuses on the 1976 Paris-Roubaix single day bike race over the cobbled farm tracks of northern France, normally reserved for cattle. Leth covers the race with twenty cameras and a helicopter and captures the drama as some of the sport's greats, including Merckx, De Vlaeminck, Maertens and Moser, battle it out through the dirt and dust clouds.


THU 00:45 Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob (b048wtcn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 01:45 Top of the Pops (b0499f9b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:25 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074l0y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 11 JULY 2014

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b048wn0c)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Symphony (b01778mc)
New Nations and New Worlds

Simon Russell Beale continues his history of the symphony by taking a musical journey through the rise of nationalism in Europe into the New World. He discovers how nationalist voices such as Tchaikovsky, Dvorak and Sibelius brought the symphony to wider audiences and visits Dvorak's summer house as he left it at his death in 1904, a remarkable insight into the personal life of the great composer.

Simon follows the development of the symphony outside Europe and explores how growing urbanisation led to the construction and growing popularity of some of the world's greatest concert halls, visiting the Musikverein in Vienna, the Philharmonic Hall in St Petersburg and Carnegie Hall in New York.

The symphonies are played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder.


FRI 20:30 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sll)
Episode 4

Another in the series of 1980s pop archive shows highlights those bands that swayed on the spot, compulsory for the synthesiser bands that dominated the decade. Doing the standing still are Depeche Mode (featuring Vince Clarke), The Human League, Yazoo (featuring Vince Clarke), Soft Cell, New Order, Bronski Beat, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure (featuring Vince Clarke).


FRI 21:00 Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned (b048wwlk)
From My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock to God Save the Queen, this is the story of ten records from the 1930s to the present day that have been banned by the BBC. The reasons why these songs were censored reveals the changing controversies around youth culture over the last 75 years, with Bing Crosby and the Munchkins among the unlikely names to have met the wrath of the BBC.

With contributions from Carrie Grant, Paul Morley, Stuart Maconie, Glen Matlock, Mike Read and John Robb.


FRI 22:00 More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On (b048wwpz)
Compilation of songs previously banned by the BBC, including Lola by The Kinks, Jackie by Scott Walker and We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang by Heaven 17.


FRI 23:00 A Hard Day's Night (b0074q9m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:35 on Sunday]


FRI 00:25 Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned (b048wwlk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 01:25 More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On (b048wwpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 02:25 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sll)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


FRI 02:55 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00llh2f)
Part III

Compilation of classic archive performances from the guitar gods of the late 60s and 70s. Status Quo appear playing Pictures of Matchstick Men on Top of the Pops in 1968, The Who perform Long Live Rock in the Old Grey Whistle Test studio, Dire Straits play Tunnel of Love and Lynyrd Skynyrd bring a taste of the Deep South with Sweet Home Alabama. The show also features rare performances from George Benson, Leo Kottke, Link Wray and Tom Petty.




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

A Hard Day's Night 19:35 SUN (b0074q9m)

A Hard Day's Night 23:00 FRI (b0074q9m)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 00:30 TUE (b0074kzy)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 21:00 THU (b0074l0y)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 02:25 THU (b0074l0y)

A Sunday in Hell 23:00 THU (b0074qhx)

Big in America: British Hits in the USA 23:45 SAT (b01bywsr)

Britain by Bike 23:50 MON (b00td4sg)

Britain by Bike 00:20 MON (b00tg2q0)

Britain by Bike 20:00 TUE (b00tjr3z)

Britain by Bike 01:30 TUE (b00tjr3z)

Britain by Bike 01:35 WED (b00t6yhb)

Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned 21:00 FRI (b048wwlk)

Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned 00:25 FRI (b048wwlk)

Commonwealth on Film 20:30 TUE (b0495751)

Commonwealth on Film 02:00 TUE (b0495751)

Edge of Darkness 22:00 MON (b0074p95)

Guitar Heroes at the BBC 02:55 FRI (b00llh2f)

Horizon 20:00 WED (b01f893x)

Inspector Montalbano 21:00 SAT (b01cc6mz)

Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing 20:00 MON (b0404892)

Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing 01:20 MON (b0404892)

Lost Land of the Tiger 19:00 SAT (b00ty6b0)

Lost Land of the Tiger 02:00 SAT (b00ty6b0)

Lost Land of the Tiger 23:30 TUE (b00ty6b0)

Majesty and Mortar: Britain's Great Palaces 22:50 MON (b0488trx)

More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On 22:00 FRI (b048wwpz)

More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On 01:25 FRI (b048wwpz)

Neil Sedaka: King of Song 01:10 SUN (b03v2yxt)

Only Connect 20:30 MON (b048wskm)

Only Connect 00:50 MON (b048wskm)

Parks and Recreation 02:05 WED (b020tnrz)

Parks and Recreation 02:30 WED (b020tns1)

Precision: The Measure of All Things 20:00 THU (b033664m)

Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob 21:00 TUE (b048wtcn)

Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob 02:30 TUE (b048wtcn)

Rebels Of Oz: Germaine, Clive, Barry and Bob 00:45 THU (b048wtcn)

Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle 21:00 WED (b00t6ylx)

Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle 02:50 WED (b00t6ylx)

Rise of the Continents 22:00 THU (b0368kb2)

Sounds of the Eighties 01:25 SAT (b0074sk2)

Sounds of the Eighties 20:30 FRI (b0074sll)

Sounds of the Eighties 02:25 FRI (b0074sll)

Sounds of the Sixties 19:00 SUN (b0074q9l)

Storyville 21:00 SUN (b048wq0z)

Storyville 22:40 SUN (b048wqcc)

Storyville 02:10 SUN (b048wq0z)

Storyville 00:00 WED (b048wq0z)

Strictly Ballroom 22:00 TUE (b00749zg)

Symphony 19:30 FRI (b01778mc)

Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley 21:00 MON (b048wss8)

Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley 02:50 MON (b048wss8)

Tales from the Royal Wardrobe with Lucy Worsley 23:00 WED (b048wss8)

The Beatles' Please Please Me: Remaking a Classic 22:45 SAT (b01qnrb8)

The Flying Archaeologist 19:30 MON (b01s1ll4)

The Flying Archaeologist 19:30 TUE (b01s1czf)

The Flying Archaeologist 19:30 WED (b01s1llz)

The Queen's Castle 22:00 WED (b00792r7)

The Richest Songs in the World 23:40 SUN (b01pjrt5)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 20:00 SAT (b00skvtx)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 03:00 SAT (b00skvtx)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 01:50 MON (b00skvtx)

Top of the Pops 00:45 SAT (b0488tsh)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b0499f9b)

Top of the Pops 01:45 THU (b0499f9b)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b048wmzj)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b048wmzr)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b048wmzx)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b048wn04)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b048wn0c)